LOUISVILLE, Ky. – LSU junior wide receiver/return specialist Odell Beckham Jr. is one of 44 multi-talented players across the nation named to the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, which annually goes to college football’s most versatile player, the Louisville Sports Commission announced on Friday.

Beckham Jr., a native of New Orleans, has accounted for 1,784 all-purpose yards during his career, including 1,188 yards receiving. As a sophomore, he led the Tigers with 713 yards through the air and he was second on the squad with 43 catches.

His versatility was on display throughout the entire 2012 season as he led the Southeastern Conference in punt returns (35), ranked fourth in punt return yards (320) and seventh in yards per return (9.1). Beckham Jr. accounted for two punt return touchdowns – a 70-yarder in a win over North Texas and an electrifying 89-yard score that sealed a victory over Ole Miss.

Beckham Jr. was one of just four LSU players to return multiple punts for touchdowns in the same season since at least 1991, joining Tyrann Mathieu (2011), Patrick Peterson (2010) and Skyler Green (2003).

The Louisville Sports Commission successfully launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and native son and to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players that often go unnoticed. The winner will be honored at the official Paul Hornung Award Banquet held at the Galt House in downtown Louisville in late January 2014.

The selection committee is comprised of 16 national sports journalists and former college and NFL players who vote for finalists then a winner. Their votes are tabulated by public accounting firm Dean Dorton Allen Ford.